Tag: 2023 NBA Draft

15 great photos of Victor Wembanyama in his new Spurs jersey

Check out the first photos of Victor Wembanyama wearing his Spurs jersey.

Victor Wembanyama is already in San Antonio as the newest member of the Spurs after being picked first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday.

The French phenom has already dined with a few Spurs legends and is eyeing some delicious San Antonio breakfast tacos as he gets acclimated to his new city.

On Saturday, the Spurs introduced Wembanyama to the fan base and gave a first look at the basketball player in his No. 1 San Antonio jersey.

If you want to get an early glimpse at Wembanyama in action on the basketball court in his Spurs gear, we’ve got 15 great photos from Saturday’s media availability.

We’ve got photos of him shooting the ball, going in for a layup and just soaking in the atmosphere at San Antonio’s AT&T Center.

Whether you’re a die-hard Spurs fan or just a casual NBA watcher, it’s worth it to get your first glimpse at the Wemby era of San Antonio basketball.

Victor Wembanyama raved about his dinner with a few ‘generous’ Spurs legends

A handful of Spurs greats have already taken Victor Wembanyama under their wing.

Not even two days removed from the 2023 NBA Draft, San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama has already learned from some of the franchise’s great players.

Wembanyama reportedly dined with Spurs legends Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Manu Ginobili on Friday night, and the rookie raved on Saturday about how much they taught him and invested in him for their few hours together.

“In probably a couple hours, I learned more about the NBA than in my whole life,” Wembanyama said. “It’s comforting to see that these people, who are so important to the city of San Antonio and to the franchise, are such kind people, and generous, because they genuinely wanted to share with me their experience.”

What a cool moment it must’ve been for Wembanyama to get to engage with those Spurs legends in such an intimate setting.

The new San Antonio franchise face also has support from his fellow countryman and Spurs legend Tony Parker, as the two already had an established relationship with each other before Wembanyama was drafted.

“I know he wanted to go to San Antonio, and so it feels like it was destiny, with the French connection we built over the years,” Parker told AP. “And he is going to keep the legacy going. It’s pretty cool.”

Wembanyama is going to carve out his own legacy in San Antonio history, and it’s already so neat to see the Spurs greats of yesterday already embrace the franchise’s future star.

ESPN draft analyst raves about Kris Murray’s arrival, Portland Trail Blazers’ NBA draft

ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony loves the Portland Trail Blazers’ NBA draft and the selection of Iowa’s Kris Murray.

NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givony of ESPN recently extolled praise for how the Portland Trail Blazers approached this year’s NBA draft.

Givony raved about the Trail Blazers’ draft in a video on Twitter, captioning it, “I love how the Portland Trailblazers drafted last night; picking Scoot Henderson and Kris Murray in the first round, and then positioning to snag Rayan Rupert in the second.”

Of course, everyone has nothing but good things to say about the Blazers’ third-overall pick Scoot Henderson. Many saw him as the second-best player in the draft, one worthy of a first-overall selection in a non-Victor Wembanyama year.

Whether or not they look to pair Scoot with star point guard Damian Lillard to create a dynamic backcourt, or if they see Scoot as Dame’s successor we will have to see. Whatever direction they go with, Murray is the perfect complementary player, as described by Givony in the interview.

“He’s a very good complementary player for Portland to add. A guy like Damian Lillard looks at him and says ‘Okay, this guy’s turning 23 in August, I can work with this. This isn’t a teenager,” Givony said.

That is a very important thing to note. Murray is not the youngest player in this draft, but for the type of player he is, that experience actually works to his advantage. The Trail Blazers aren’t drafting Kris Murray to be a superstar or someone to carry the team. They already have Damian Lillard and they just drafted Scoot Henderson with that type of future in mind.

What Portland needs now is to start constructing a cohesive roster around their stars. They already have some pretty good guard play, especially with recent draft picks Shaedon Sharpe and now Scoot Henderson.

What they need are those glue guys. The role players who can come in, play off the stars, and help the team in multiple areas. As Givony pointed out, Murray is just that type of 3-and-D wing player.

Whoever Portland decides to build their franchise around, you can be sure that Kris Murray will be a great complementary fit.

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Podcast: Draft reaction as Rockets land Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore

#Rockets podcasters @BenDuBose and @PauloAlvesNBA offer their analysis on Houston’s 2023 draft haul of Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, along with what it means for the future.

In a new episode of “The Lager Line,” Rockets podcasters Ben DuBose and Paulo Alves offer their initial reactions to Houston landing Amen Thompson (No. 4 pick, Overtime Elite) and Cam Whitmore (No. 20, Villanova) in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft.

After unexpectedly securing two of the draft’s most desirable prospects, Houston is receiving high grades from NBA analysts. As such, the podcast explores what each player could bring to the young and rebuilding Rockets in the 2023-24 season and beyond.

The show also addresses what the well-received draft says about Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, as well as what the draft haul could mean for 2023 free agency when it opens next weekend.

Saturday’s podcast, which is sponsored by Clutch City Lager of Karbach Brewing, can be listened to below. Each episode of the show is also made available via flagship radio station SportsTalk 790 and all major podcast distributors under “The Lager Line.”

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Brad Stevens on his strategy for the Boston Celtics at the 2023 NBA draft

Stevens broke down the recent draft week trades that had us all a little dizzy last Thursday night.

Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, recently made a rare podcast appearance on the team’s own “View From the Rafters” pod to discuss the recent draft week trades that had us all a little dizzy last Thursday night and the emotions involved in making difficult decisions.

The Celtics traded veteran point guard Marcus Smart to acquire Washington Wizards star big man Kristaps Porzingis, who brings versatility and shooting to the team. Stevens emphasized the importance of mental toughness and how Porzingis can complement the team’s best players. The Celtics also acquired multiple second-round picks, which they view as valuable assets for future moves along with drafting Jordan Walsh, a young and athletic defense-first prospect with room for improvement in his strength and shooting.

To hear from the Celtics team president and a very turbulent week for Boston fans, take a look at the clip embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Breaking down a wild week for the Boston Celtics

What might be next for the Celtics?

What a week for the Boston Celtics! On a recent episode of the CLNS Media “Winning Plays” podcast, Brian Robb invites Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston to unpack an action-packed week for the Celtics. With the heartrending trade of Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis and a series of draft night deals, the team is clearly in a state of flux.

Together, Brian and Chris scrutinize the impact of Smart’s departure and how the addition of Porzingis could reshape the Celtics’ gameplay. They delve into the strategic implications of these changes and discuss the potential new dynamic Porzingis brings to the court. The duo also addresses the Celtics’ draft night surprises, focusing on the selection of Arkansas forward Jordan Walsh with the 38th overall pick. How does his addition fit into the evolving Celtics’ blueprint?

Finally, they turn their attention to the future. In the aftermath of these rapid transformations, what might be next for the Celtics?

Take a look at the clip embedded above for a compelling conversation full of expert analysis and insightful speculations about the team’s future trajectory.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Brooklyn Nets 2023 NBA Draft grades

Here are the grades for the Brooklyn Nets’ 2023 NBA Draft.

The Brooklyn Nets have officially completed their 2023 NBA Draft as they have made their three selections and have introduced those players to the media and the fanbase. To recap, the Nets had three picks in the draft: 21st overall, 22nd overall, and 51st overall.

With those picks, they selected Alabama forward Noah Clowney, Duke wing Dariq Whitehead, and Kansas forward Jalen Wilson, respectively. Now that the draft is done, the rest of the league can turn its attention to free-agency, summer league, etc.

Before we get there, it would be interesting to review Brooklyn’s draft and give out grades for each pick. The Nets did not have a lottery pick and even though there were rumors about Brooklyn packaging at least one of their picks to move up, nothing came to fruition. That will not necessarily play a part in these roles, but it should be pointed out that the Nets essentially had the chance to move up, but chose to pick players for the organization to develop:

A list of the Razorbacks drafted to the NBA since 2000

Three Razorbacks had their names called during the 2023 NBA Draft, the most since 1992.

Both the NBA and NFL have done a great job of turning their respective drafts into spectacles.

Thursday, the NBA held the 77th edition of its draft, and three Razorbacks had their names called. It’s the most since 1992 when four players were drafted out of Fayetteville.

Anthony Black became the Razorbacks’ highest-drafted player, going No. 6 to the Orlando Magic, joining last year’s top overall pick Paolo Banchero.

Nick Smith’s name would get called later in the draft at No. 27 to the Charlotte Hornets, and the guard was emotional after going through a tumultuous freshman season at Arkansas. Jordan Walsh was the final Razorback drafted, going in the second round to the Boston Celtics, giving Eric Musselman four one-and-done players during his tenure as the Arkansas head coach.

With the smoke clearing, let’s take a look at all the players drafted to the NBA out of Arkansas since 2000.

Bulls receive underwhelming grade for selections in 2023 NBA Draft

After trading into the 2023 NBA Draft to pick up Julian Phillips, the Chicago Bulls were given a B- grade.

Heading into the 2023 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls didn’t have a pick to work with. Their first-rounder belonged to the Orlando Magic via the Nikola Vucevic trade, and they lost both of the seconds they had, too, one via trade and one because the NBA determined that they tampered when signing Lonzo Ball, forcing them to forfeit the selection.

However, the Bulls made some noise. They traded into the NBA Draft and picked up Tennessee forward Julian Phillips with the 35th pick, which they acquired from the Washington Wizards. Phillips will bring a nice defensive presence to the Bulls’ frontcourt.

That being said, the Draft Digest Staff, who wrote an article on the pick for Sports Illustrated, graded Chicago’s night a B-, noting that Phillips will be a project.

“It took trading into the second-round, but the Bulls ended up finding a way to get a pick in the 2023 NBA Draft,” they wrote. “With that selection, they landed a defensive-minded prospect in Phillips. He’s more of a project pick, but has a ton of upside if he can develop a more well-rounded game. In his one season at Tennessee, he looked like a first-round talent at times, but others was less than impressive.”

They also spoke about the addition of UConn center Adama Sanogo, who the Bulls signed to a two-way deal after the draft.

“The Bulls also landed Adama Sanogo on a two-way deal as an undrafted free agent, which was a quality pickup,” they wrote. “Considering the fact that Chicago came into Thursday’s draft without a single pick, it was a successful event. Relative to the circumstances, the Bulls’ night deserves a solid grade.”

While the addition of Phillips to the roster will give Chicago a nice infusion of youth, they could have used a win-now piece in the draft. Instead, they will take on another project with a player who’s less-than-stellar from beyond the three-point arc.

Meanwhile, Sanogo is a solid pick-up, but again, he’s not a great three-point shooter, which is Chicago’s biggest need.

Maybe not an ideal night.

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Why did the Boston Celtics select Jordan Walsh with 38th pick in 2023 NBA draft?

He is a surprisingly long player with the potential to become a lockdown defender at the next level. However, his shooting abilities are limited from beyond the arc, and that is even a bit generous.

The Boston Celtics have selected 19-year-old forward Jordan Walsh out of Arkansas with the 38th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft after dealing back into the second round from No. 25 in the first round.

Walsh is mainly known for his elite athleticism and defensive skills, particularly his ability to put his 7-foot-2 wingspan to work disrupting passing lanes and making opponents uncomfortable on both ends of the court. He is a surprisingly long player with the potential to become a lockdown defender at the next level. However, his shooting abilities are limited from beyond the arc, and that is even a bit generous.

The Celtics prioritize defense and believe Walsh can contribute in that aspect, a topic discussed at length by NBC Sports Boston’s Eddie House, Jeff Goodman, Brian Scalabrine, Chris Forsberg, and Tom Giles on the network’s “Celtics Draft Special” show.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear their take on the Arkansas alum.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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